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Sky Ferreira, “Night Time, My Time” Album Review

Sky Ferreira has long since been considered the indie darling of the pop world and, having spent years cultivating a small but ardent fanbase while releasing EPs of solid and original pop music while acting as a successful model, she’s finally released her long-delayed and much-anticipated studio album.

After at least three years of delays, very solid pop EPs in the interim, and more than a little hint of a troubled past, Sky’s first studio album – Night Time, My Time – has just been revealed, and fortunately, it’s a solid collection of rock and pop tunes that sounds a million miles from her still-very-excellent electropop roots.

Lead single and album standout “You’re Not The One” is an anthemic and addictive rock-pop song that sets the stage for the entire mood and feeling of the album despite being in the middle of the LP. It’s a joyously sing-a-long tune and one that makes a strong impact.

Fortunately, there are plenty more well-crafted offerings on the album – “24 Hours” is an electropop delight that has an earworm hook to die for and a pop chorus that is pleasantly simple, while “Ain’t Your Right” is a furiously fast-paced number with grunge-esque guitars that evokes early Garbage.

There’s plenty of anger and menace evident and present on the table too – album opener “Boys” is a dark electro-rock tune that sounds as if it were plucked right out of the heyday of the ’90s and “Nobody Asked Me (If I Was Okay)” is pure lyrical and sonic anger with rising guitars and an angst-rock vibe.

That isn’t to say that the album is full of doom and gloom – musically at least. “Love on Stereo” is a cute J-pop-style song while the sole traditional ballad, “I Blame Myself” sounds like a midtempo Kelly Clarkson cut. Best of all, “Heavy Metal Heart” is a bittersweet song that sounds like the best of Sleigh Bells’ second album and is a strangely beautiful ode, while bizarre rock-pop tune “Omanko” is built around a pulsing production and the chorus refrain of preparing for ‘Japanese Christmas’.

There’s filler, of course, in the form of “Kristine” – which, while a toe tapper, is much less memorable than the tracks that preceded it, and the dark and emotional closer “Night Time, My Time” is a downbeat, dark and cinematic late night jam that jars the end of the album a touch.

Frankly, however, Night Time, My Time is the perfect culmination of Ms. Ferreira’s journey and progress as an artist as she evolves from a pure electropop princess into a much edgier, darker and infinitely more interesting voice to watch out for. Night Time, My Time certainly won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you like your pop interesting or your rock with a killer female vocal, then this will be a dark and sweet treat indeed.